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Havana, Illinois

19 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1925 and the latest in 1990. It stands in Havana Township. It lies in ZIP code area 62644. It lies near Island of Canton. The Survey maps it on the Havana quadrangle. 2,963 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 476 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Havana within Mason County

On record in Havana

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 2 records

Population over time

2 figures

Havana fell from 3,301 to 2,963 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
20103,301
20202,963-338 (-10%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

10 surveys from 19 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

In the county-history sources

6,158 words on this township

Centennial History of Mason County, Including a Sketch of the Early History of Illinois, Its Physical Peculiarities, Soils, Climate, Production, Etc., published 1876 names this settlement in its chapter on Havana Township. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

Havana is beautifully situated on the east bank of the Illinois river, and is the county seat of the county. The situation is somewhat elevated, perhaps an average of forty feet above the river. It contains many fine residences and pleasant homes, and more than ordinary taste is exhibited in the improvement and ornamentation of grounds.

Passage source: Centennial History of Mason County, Including a Sketch of the Early History of Illinois, Its Physical Peculiarities, Soils, Climate, Production, Etc., published 1876.

The details of the early settlement of Havana are so fully set forth in the biographies of Pulaski Scovil, A. W. Kemp, N. J. Rockwell, O. E. Foster, J. H. Neteler, and others, that a repetition here would be a work of superogation. In lieu there of, we will refer the reader to the biographies above named, to the extracts from early newspapers, and the railroad department.

Passage source: Centennial History of Mason County, Including a Sketch of the Early History of Illinois, Its Physical Peculiarities, Soils, Climate, Production, Etc., published 1876.

Havana contains many substantial business houses, warehouses, steam elevators, and three hotels ; and her trade, though not as flourishing as many towns, has had a slow, healthful growth. In 1856 there was no brick building in Havana. In 1857 J. H. & D. P. Hole built the first brick store, and in the same year Wm. Walker built the first brick dwelling.

Passage source: Centennial History of Mason County, Including a Sketch of the Early History of Illinois, Its Physical Peculiarities, Soils, Climate, Production, Etc., published 1876.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Havana Township - it names this place 4 more 4 times.

Fires near this place

5 since 1999

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 5 fires within 5 miles of Havana between 1999 and 2004, burning about 284 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined2
Recreation and ceremony2
Debris and open burning1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
4 April 2004Missing data/not specified/undetermined28 acresIllinois River National Wildlife RefugeKNOTT FIRE 4-5-04
3 April 2003Missing data/not specified/undetermined6.0 acresIllinois River National Wildlife RefugeSPOON RIVER 01 04-03
14 October 1999Debris and open burning250 acresIllinois River National Wildlife RefugeCANTERBERR
25 January 2004Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreIllinois River National Wildlife RefugeGUDAT 1
25 January 2004Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreIllinois River National Wildlife RefugeGUDAT 2

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Mason County

Mines and quarries near this place

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Havana: 2 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Holle Pit #1Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Mason County PitStonePast Producer

Every working recorded in Mason County

Storms near this place

60 of 61 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Havana in 61 storm reports between 1994 and 2026: 34 thunderstorm wind, 17 hail, 3 tornado, 3 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
April 2013FloodHavana$5,000,000Hundreds of cabins and sheds in wildlife areas along the Illinois River were severely damaged. In addition, 25 homes and several other structures were damaged near Bath, Snicarte, Havana and Goofy Ridge. Nearly 15 miles of roads will need to be rebuilt due to the flooding. The river stage at Havana climbed to a record level of 27.78 feet on April 25th at 19:15 local time, which was nearly 14 feet above flood stage. High impact flooding continued into the month of May 2013.
June 1999Tornado (F1)Havana$500,000no account filed
August 2008LightningHavana$150,000Lightning struck a house in the city of Havana setting the roof and attic ablaze. The residents of the house were able to flee uninjured. The house burned to the ground.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindHavana$50,000Several trees were blown down in Havana.
May 2017Thunderstorm WindHavana$50,000Numerous trees were blown down.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindHavana$35,000Several tree limbs and power lines were blown down in Havana.
August 2009Thunderstorm WindHavana$35,000Several power lines and large tree limbs were blown down in Havana.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindHavana$30,000Five power poles were snapped off west of IL-97 on 1550E near the power station.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindHavana$25,000Numerous trees and power lines were blown down in Havana and across much of Mason County.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindHavana$20,000Downed power lines caused a 4-acre field fire northeast of Havana.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindHavana$20,000Power lines were blown down in Havana.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindHavana$20,000Several trees were uprooted in Havana.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindHavana$10,000Several large tree limbs were blown down.
July 2009Thunderstorm WindHavana$10,000Numerous trees were blown down in Havana.
May 2016Thunderstorm WindHavana$6,000Four trees were blown down just northeast of Havana.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindHavana$6,000Two trees were blown down.
May 2015LightningHavana$5,000Lightning struck a tree, which fell on a building behind the fire department in Havana.
June 1994Thunderstorm WindHavana$5,000Power lines were blown down.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindHavana$2,000A tree was blown down in Havana.
March 2026Thunderstorm WindHavana-Several trees, power lines, and traffic lights were blown down across Havana as a result of a downburst.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindHavana-Minor damage occurred to shingles and siding of a house.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindHavana-Several large tree branches were blown down in Riverfront Park.
October 2021Thunderstorm WindHavana-A large tree limb was blown down.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindHavana-Several tree limbs were blown down across Havana.
July 2020Flash FloodHavana-Several streets were flooded and barricaded in Havana.
July 2017Thunderstorm WindHavana-A flag pole was snapped.
June 2015Flash FloodHavana-A narrow band of thunderstorms produced 2.00 to 3.00 of rain on very saturated ground in west central and northern Mason County. Many streets were flooded in Havana and Manito. Numerous rural roads were also impassable from Havana to Manito during the afternoon hours of June 26th.
May 2013FloodHavana-High impact flooding on the Illinois River continued from April.||Hundreds of cabins and sheds in wildlife areas along the Illinois River were severely damaged by the floodwaters. In addition, 25 homes and several other structures were damaged near Bath, Snicarte, Havana and Goofy Ridge. Nearly 15 miles of roads were destroyed due to the flooding. High impact flooding subsided when the river level at Havana fell below a stage of 17 feet on May 19th.||Damage estimates were reported in the April Storm Data for this event.
April 2006HailHavana-Hail covered the ground.
September 2006Thunderstorm WindHavana-No damage was reported.
September 2006Thunderstorm WindHavana-Tree limbs and corn were blown down.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindHavana-Numerous trees and power lines were blown down.
September 2006Flash FloodHavana-Numerous roads flooded in Havana. Route 136 had 1 to 2 feet of water flowing across it for a time.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindHavana-Several trees and a road sign were blown over.
May 2003Tornado (F1)Havana-A tornado touched down in the Quiver Beach area. It destroyed a travel trailer and a garage. As the tornado traveled to the northeast it blew down numerous trees and power lines before lifting and dissipating. No injuries were reported.
April 2001Thunderstorm WindHavana-Tree limbs and power lines were reported down across the area.
August 2001Thunderstorm WindHavana-Trees and power lines were reported down in Havana, as well as on the southern end of Easton.
August 2001Thunderstorm WindHavana-Several trees, tree limbs and power lines were blown down.
August 2000Thunderstorm WindHavana-Several large trees were blown down in Matanza Beach.
June 1999HailHavana-Golfball sized hail fell one mile south of Havana and in Kilbourne. Dime size hail fell in San Jose.
November 1998Thunderstorm WindHavana-In Mason City, a steel roofing system was blown off of an IDOT garage and numerous trees were blown down. Five miles north of Mason City, a tandem truck was blown off of Highway 136. The driver was not injured. In rural Mason City, a 2x4 was thrown through a bathroom window on a farm house and the roof was blown off of a machine shed.
April 1998Tornado (F0)Havana-A tornado briefly touched down in a field 3 miles southwest of Havana. No injuries or damage were reported.
July 1998Thunderstorm WindHavana-Thunderstorm winds blew down trees and power lines down in Bath, along Route 78 between Bath and Havana, and in Havana. Also, a grain wagon was blown across the road in Havana and the shed doors were blown in at the Havana city disposal plant. No injuries were reported.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindHavana-A series of severe thunderstorms moved through the Havana area. Numerous trees were blown down, one of which fell onto the roof of a house 2 miles south of Havana. Also, some minor street flooding was reported due to the heavy amounts of rain in a short period of time. No injuries were reported and no damage estimate was available.
February 2026HailHavana-no account filed
March 2024HailHavana-no account filed
May 2019HailHavana-no account filed
June 2015HailHavana-no account filed
July 2006HailHavana-no account filed
April 2004HailHavana-no account filed
May 2004HailHavana-no account filed
May 2004HailHavana-no account filed
August 2003HailHavana-no account filed
May 2003HailHavana-no account filed
May 2001HailHavana-no account filed
April 2000HailHavana-no account filed
August 2000HailHavana-no account filed
April 1998HailHavana-no account filed
April 1997Thunderstorm WindHavana-no account filed
October 1996Thunderstorm WindHavana-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Mason County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Chautauqua Park1.6 miles19
Quiver Beach2.2 miles19
Baldwin Beach3.5 miles19
Lakewood3.9 miles15
Kelsey4.0 miles15
Eckard4.0 miles14
Matanzas Beach4.5 miles15
Matanzas5.2 miles15

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on HavanaAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q575599The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 409929. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.